Rapid food alert system to be ready in UAE soon

Dubai, UAE: A unified food and animal feed control system is set to toughen up regulations – enforcing all emirates to pull banned products from shelves at the same time.

The unified system is expected to be implemented within the next two years, confirmed a senior official yesterday.

“We are working on a federal level to bring a rapid alert system that will alert all concerned bodies at the same time, and we are working on setting a benchmark for all emirates as each of them have their own rules and regulations,” said Khaled Al Marzouqi, Agriculture and Food Risk Analysis Section Manager, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA).

Speaking at the inaugural Animal Feed, Pet Food Forum and Exhibition on Wednesday, Al Marzouqi explained that the UAE aims to incorporate its own control system that is modelled after the European Union’s (EU) Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.

“Now we have different control systems so we are in the process of changing that, and working on setting a benchmark for all the emirates to follow. We need to have a federal legislation and stricter control over animal feed so that consumers do not get affected,” he said.

An action plan has already been set and ADFCA are currently working with all relevant government bodies, such as the Ministry of Environment and Water, to pass out the legislation.

“As of the availability of information, each emirate will receive a standard alert on the safety of products, whether it is related to food or animal feed, as they are all under the same regulatory authority,” said Al Marzouqi.

He pointed out that another committee is responsible among Gulf countries, and that a rapid alert system will also be introduced within the next two years. Although there exists a basic electronic system, authorities aim to develop it further. One of the most recent incidents that confused residents occurred in 2012, when the popular drink Vimto was contaminated with what was believed to have been mould. Ajman Municipality was one of the first emirates to find the contaminated drinks on January 3, so while the Ministry of Economy issued a circular to have it removed off the shelves on January 4, Dubai Municipality did not do so until January 11.

“We need stricter control over animal feed so that consumers do not get affected, as feed contamination can be very costly and affects food security and threatens the health of everybody,” said Dr Fadi Al Natour, from ADFCA.

In 2013, the Veterinary Section at Dubai Municipality recorded that it received a total of 370,000 tonnes of animal feed imports, including 180,000 tonnes of animal feed, 3,200 tonnes of pet food and 64,000 tonnes to the cattle market.

“When health regulations and security are concerned, it should take animal feed into consideration because it can cause hazards associated with feed notifications, due to salmonella, moulds, heavy metals or industrial contaminants,” he added.